Whether as a reward or just a treat, treats and candies are extremely popular. Today there are many types, many brands, and about every taste imaginable. But do our horses really need them?
What is the use of candy for the horse?
Obviously not, our horses don’t really need candy to live their lives. Treats are part of the category of food supplements, which means that they are in no way essential to your horse’s diet. However, they can be particularly useful in certain situations. Everything depends on the context in which they are given.
First of all, after an effort, whatever the age of your horse, it is important to reward him when he makes an effort for you, whatever the nature, it can be the realization of a new or already known physical exercise, The candy can be used to “support” the reward of the horse, to show him that we are very happy with him (more than usual when he does not receive a candy in fact). However, it is possible to create treats with certain plants, and thus combine the benefit of candy with that of phytotherapy.
Then they also have an educational function for the young horse. The fact that the candy is attractive and that the reward system with a food to which it does not usually have access is easily understood by the horse; it can accelerate certain learning. But be careful not to overdo it and always remain fair in this case because this technique can quickly give your horse rude habits, the most frequent being the fact of begging or rummaging in the rider’s things (exactly as in the education of a young dog). It is however necessary to set up a certain rigor in the choice of the tasty food and its distribution.
In addition, some treats and sweets can be used as a distraction for the horse in the stable or in the meadow. The brand “Likit” specialized early on in this niche by marketing their famous licking stones to be hung in front of your horse’s stall. Because of their unstable and rotating suspension system, the horse will have difficulty reaching and licking the stone, so it will require some thought and it will last a little longer than a classic, fixed salt stone. They have also developed other products since then such as treat dispensing balls to be left on the ground. Without wanting to enter the eternal debate of “it’s normal for a horse to be bored in the box, it’s not made to live there”, these games are positive because they really keep the horses busy while “calming” the owners a little.
Finally, the use of treats can also be done in a “practical” context to make the horse come to you or to get more attention from him, for example when he is in a pasture or when he escapes. This is the easy and fast method too, but it doesn’t work with all horses.
Personally, we sometimes offer a few after a good session during which our horse has worked well and made a significant effort (whether physical or mental), and we always have some in our pocket when we go for a walk or in an unknown place such as a showground or cross-country, in case our horse escapes us. And most of the horses in the stable have a “Likit” stone in their box (in addition to their salt stone), use it and are happy with it.
Several types of treats
As we said, there are plenty of horse treats on the market. So, we will try to classify them a bit.
- Natural: the most famous are carrots and apples, but there are plenty of other fruits and vegetables that you can feed to your horse. Beware however of medical contraindications, allergies (especially if you are not the owner of the horse!), and seeds that he could swallow without wanting to.
Sugar cubes can also be given, which can be found in any food store.
Hard bread can also be placed in this category even though it is increasingly banned from stables because it makes horses sick if it is too soft, and most people are not careful enough. - Industrial: (Decathlon’s Fougasnack, Likit) without a pejorative connotation, industrial treats are those made in an industrial way. They often contain natural or artificial flavors and colors, as well as added sugar.
- Industrial 100% natural: (HDCP, Herballs by Hilton Herbs) candies made from natural ingredients only so no additives, preservatives, or artificial flavors.
- Organic industrial: (Happy crackers, Delizia bio Kerbl) there are currently few organic horse candies – on the market, that is, treats made from organically grown ingredients.
Always remember to check the ingredient list of the treats you buy for your horse as you would for yourself. I don’t need to remind you that good nutrition is essential to your horse’s well-being and healthy digestion.
Making a horse treat
There are many ways to reward and entertain your horse with food. There are also many recipes on the internet to please them with homemade cakes and sweets. We have selected three ideas because they are simple, effective, and not very well known.
Fruit skewers: you can make fruit skewers for your horse! Just pierce the fruit with a clean knife, screwdriver, or other sharp object, and thread them through a hay string like beads, one after the other. Then you can hang it wherever you want! He will be delighted, and it will last if he wants. Be careful to choose ripe fruits and vegetables because if they are too hard your horse will have trouble eating them and if they are too soft it might be too easy for him and making them fit on the string will be complicated for you.
Carrot cubes: instead of giving fresh carrots to Tornado, to make them last longer and to vary his food, you can dry them. You just have to cut your carrots in small pieces according to the technique that suits you best (we cut them in slices, a little thick), and to put them in the oven for 10 minutes at 180° (be careful to adjust the power of your oven according to its characteristics) or to leave them in the open air for 3/4 days.
Candy Tips: believe it or not there is a WikiHow to make treats for your horse. We haven’t tried all these recipes, but this article gives a good idea of what you can do yourself and a lot of inspiration. We invite you to take a closer look and adapt it to your horse’s taste.
Price of horse treats
Concerning fruits and vegetables, it will depend on your region, the origin of the products, and your supplier, so we don’t have a price range to give you unfortunately. But we have compared and ranked the prices of the most popular treats for us today:
- Boxes of sugar cubes: about 1€80 /kilogram
- Fouganza: 3€ /kg
- Mühldorfer: 3€95 /kg
- Kerbl: 3€99 /kg
- Likit pierre: 4€75 (800g)
- Hippotonic: 5€ /kg
- HDCP: 5€80 /kg
- Effol: 5€90 /kg
- Hilton Herbs: 6€95 /kg
- Equisnacks: 6€95 /kg
- Horsemaster: 8€95 /kg
- Likit Snacks: 9€ /kg
- Picotin: 13€ /kg
- Happy Crackers: 20€ /kg
Please note that the prices indicated here are provided as an indication, it is obvious that the products are not equal in terms of manufacturing and therefore the significant price differences that can be found are justified. We invite you to consult the websites and/or stores of the various manufacturers for more information.
Fashionable horse treats
There really hasn’t been any recent big innovations in the horse candy industry to highlight here. So, we chose instead to trust our horses here are our favorite horse candies in top 3:
HDCP: unquestionable number 1, HDCP candies are highly appreciated by our mounts, they have a great smell and an excellent value for money. Particularly important for us, they are 100% natural with a large choice of flavors to try. We do not get tired of it! Big plus: the buckets last a long time, it is possible to refill them (thank you for the planet), and if you go to a show, absolutely pass by their stand, their merchandising is simply great.
Likit: because even if it’s not a recent invention, no other brand has yet dethroned them in France and we can think what we want about stall housing, it’s still nice when you see your horse playing with its stone rather than staying without doing anything in the middle of the paddock or the box. That has the merit to stimulate them a little and for that we say thank you “Likit”! Moreover, the flavors are original and smell good – (most of the time).
Happy Crackers: the latest on the market, the crackers have everything to seduce. They are healthy, organic, ethical, their tastes are original, and the packaging is nice. Big plus: the charity partnership set up with the SPA to which they redistribute a percentage of their sales, the different discovery packs, and the variety of products (for horses, riders, and dogs!).
